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The Purely-Financial Edition Friday, January 28, 2022

Apple Just Had The Biggest Holiday Quarter In Its History, by Samuel Axon, Ars Technica

Neither a global pandemic nor a supply chain crunch can stop Apple, based on the company's Q1 2022 earnings report. Released today, the report showed Apple smashing many of its sales records once again, with $123.9 billion in overall revenue and $34.6 billion in profit.

Apple CEO: ‘We Don’t Make Purely Financial Decisions’ About Apple TV Plus Content, by Todd Spangler, Variety

“We don’t make purely financial decisions about the content [on Apple TV Plus]. We try to find great content that has a reason for being,” he said on Apple’s quarterly earnings call Thursday. Cook was responding to an analyst’s question about whether the service’s “socially responsible” programming lens might be causing Apple to be hesitant about acquiring a studio.

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Cook’s comments suggest that Apple still sees the streaming service strategically as mainly a loss-leader for sales of iPhones, Apple TV 4K set-tops and other hardware products.

Apple Forecasts Record Q2 2022 Despite Continued Supply Constraints And COVID-19 Uncertainty, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

While the company is not providing specific guidance for the quarter due to uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply constraints, CFO Luca Maestri says the company expects revenue growth to be “solid on a year-over-year basis.”

This Is Tim: Apple Q1 2022 Conference Call Transcript, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

"On behalf of all of us at apple, I want to extend our deep gratitude to the scientists, doctors, nurses, and so many others on the front lines of combating COVID 19. This is our eighth quarter reporting results in the shadow of the pandemic. And while I can’t say it gets any easier, I can say I’m incredibly proud of the way our teams have come together and continued to innovate on behalf of our customers."

Extension Deprecation

macOS 12.3 Will Break Cloud-storage Features Used By Dropbox And OneDrive, by Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica

If you're using either Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive to sync files on a Mac, you'll want to pay attention to the release notes for today's macOS 12.3 beta: the update is deprecating a kernel extension used by both apps to download files on demand. The extension means that files are available when you need them but don't take up space on your disk when you don't.

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This isn't the only time Dropbox and OneDrive have been behind the curve in supporting new macOS features.

Old Man Yells At Cloud, by Nick Heer, Pixel Envy

It is the combination of these changes, delivered through automatic software updates, that compelled me to write about this in more detail. Much of the software I use is now delivered through a service-based model, where I have no control over which version I am using. There are clear benefits, like reduced version incompatibility and guaranteed security fixes, but it comes at the cost of user control. Sometimes, that means my workflow will get interrupted by a change I did not explicitly request, and that will mean spending a great deal of time adjusting. If it were only in one or two applications — and only sometimes — this would bug me less, but it is the new standard, and I am increasingly frustrated by it.

Coming Soon

iPadOS 15.4 And macOS Monterey 12.3 Betas Add Universal Control, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 betas that Apple released today introduce support for Universal Control, the long-awaited feature that’s designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single mouse and keyboard.

iOS 15.4 Enables Face ID Support While Wearing A Mask, No Apple Watch Required, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

With iOS 15.4 beta 1 Apple is starting to test the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask but without the need of an Apple Watch around.

iOS 15.4 Beta Lets Users Add Notes To Their iCloud Keychain Passwords, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Passwords stored in iCloud can be accessed through the Passwords menu in the Settings app. Once you tap to edit a password, there’s now a new option to add a note text alongside the login details.

iOS 15.4 Will Allow Third-Party Apps To Take Full Advantage Of iPhone 13 Pro 120Hz ProMotion Displays, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Apple appears to be addressing the Core Animation issue in the iOS 15.4 beta, introducing a change that will see apps automatically offering 120Hz refresh rates for all animations on iPhones that offer ProMotion support for more streamlined usage experience.

tvOS 15.4 Has A Clever Way For Signing Into Pesky Captive Wi-Fi Networks On Apple TV, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

According to Apple, tvOS 15.4 will add captive Wi-Fi network support, which means you can use your iPhone or iPad to connect the Apple TV to networks that need additional sign-in steps.

tvOS 15.4 Beta Adds 'Up Next' Queue To Apple TV Video Player, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

The update brings some tweaks to the default Apple TV video player, which now shows the user’s “Up Next” queue.

Stuff

Belkin BoostCharge Pro Portable Wireless Charger Pad For MagSafe Review: A Pricey, But Better Option, by Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

Apple's official MagSafe puck is $39 for a shorter one-meter length. Belkin has doubled that two a lengthy two meters. Additionally, Belkin has opted for that nylon cable, a custom cable tie, and built-in kickstand. All of this contributes towards the $20 premium over Apple's cable that Belkin has chosen to apply.

‘Broke Our Hearts’: Boy With Autism Inspires Relaunch Of Popular Game, by Samantha Lock, The Guardian

An eight-year-old boy has inspired a developer to relaunch a popular mobile game after it became defunct, leaving his father desperate to find a solution.

Notes

Bragging And Dragging: Apple Music Seizes On Neil Young's Spotify Removal, by Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone

Apple Music seems to have a new marketing campaign: Humble bragging that it offers Neil Young’s music. The corporate snark comes after Spotify, Apple Music’s largest competitor, was forced to remove the singer’s catalog due to his objections over the platform allowing Covid misinformation to be broadcast on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

Bottom of the Page

Here in Singapore, we are still required to wear masks whenever we step outside of our home. And it looks the mask requirement will be here for quite a while still, given the slow pace of progress so far. So, the phone-unlock while wearing masks (finally!) is indeed welcoming news.

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Thanks for reading.